Citation and License

BMC Veterinary Research 2012, 8:195
doi:10.1186/1746-6148-8-195

Published: 20 October 2012

Abstract

Background

Components of the extracellular matrix have been studied in an attempt to elucidate
the mechanisms involved in the biological behaviour of tumours. The presence of the
proteoglycan versican has been strongly associated with cancer development and progression.
However, relationship between versican expression and clinical pathological factors
and overall survival has not been previously studied in veterinary medicine. Carcinomas
in benign mixed tumours (CBMTs) are one of the most common malignant tumours in female
canines and can serve as models for studies of tumour progression. The aim of this
study was to evaluate the expression of versican in in situ and invasive carcinomatous areas of canine CBMTs and to evaluate possible associations
of versican expression with other classic prognostic factors and overall survival.

Results

Clinical staging; histological grade determination; immunohistochemical staining for
versican, E-cadherin and Ki-67; and confirmation of invasion areas by staining for
p63 and smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA) were performed on 49 canine cases of CBMT. Tumour
invasion was considered when suspicious Haematoxylin-Eosin
(HE)-stained areas showed a total loss of α-SMA and p63 immunoreactivity. Versican
immunoreactivity was less intense in the areas adjacent to the in situ carcinomatous regions, compared to invasive regions, which showed extensive and strong
staining.

Conclusions

Our data reveal that in canine CBMTs, versican expression differs significantly between
invasive and
in situ areas, suggesting a role for this molecule in tumour progression. Although a direct
relationship exists between versican and invasiveness, our results indicate that the
isolated evaluation of this proteoglycan does not represent an independent prognostic
factor in canine CBMTs.